Welcome back to The Rundown, our daily breakdown on comic news stories we missed from the previous day. Have a link to share? Email our team at rundown@multiversitycomics.com.
In case you missed it, Marvel began unveiling three ‘X-Men: From the Ashes’ titles starting in July, the first Joker: Folie à Deux trailer dropped, and Webcomics Weekly spoke to “Blood City Rollers” creators V.P. Anderson and Tatiana Hill.
– BOOM! Studios announced they will celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Lumberjanes” with Library Editions, reprinting the entire series across eight volumes, as well as with the previously unreleased Vols. 7-10 of the hardcover “To the Max” collections. The publisher launched a pre-order campaign on Kickstarter, which has already exceeded its £19,722 goal ahead of its May 9 end date. Along with all the usual goodies promised by the campaign, BOOM!’s stretch goals will include working with ComicBooks for Kids to donate copies to children’s hospitals and cancer centers. Created by ND Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters and Gus Allen, “Lumberjanes” follows the adventures of five girls at a camp for Hardcore Lady Types; it won two Eisner Awards, and spawned various prose novels and OGNs, as well as an animated version in the works at Max.
– Skybound will reprint Larry Hama’s “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” run in a compendium format this fall. The first volume, collecting the first 50 issues of the series (originally published by Marvel from 1982 to 1986), will retail for $64.99, and be released in comic book stores on October 2, as well as bookstores on October 15, 2024. It feature cover art by Andy Kubert, and be printed on newsprint to recreate “that classic comic feeling.” In the meantime, the trade paperback of the first five issues of Hama and Chris Mooneyham’s revival of the series will be released on September 19.
– Former IDW special projects editor Scott Dunbier has revealed he is setting up a new publishing company. Dunbier said on Facebook, “In the weeks to come I will be filing paperwork to create it and I will periodically update via social media. My goal is to announce my first books, assuming things go as planned, at San Diego Comic-Con in July.” Dunbier worked at IDW from 2008 until last week, something he says was his own decision, unrelated to the layoffs there on Friday. His previous credits included the role of editor-in-chief at Wildstorm, where he oversaw Alan Moore’s America’s Best Comics line.
– In movie release news, The Crow remake has been pushed back until August 23. The film, directed by Rupert Sanders, and starring Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs, and Danny Huston, was originally set to haunt theaters on June 7, which would’ve pitted it against the latest Bad Boys film, Bad Boys: Ride or Die. It was also announced the documentary film Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will arrive in theaters in September, although an exact date was not given by Warner Bros. at the time of writing.
– George Lucas will be honored at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 25. The Star Wars and Indiana Jones creator, who will turn 80 on May 14, will receive an Honorary Palme d’or for his lifetime contributions to cinema during the festival’s closing ceremony; the date will also coincide with the 47th anniversary of the original Star Wars film. In a statement, Lucas said the festival has “held a special place in my heart” since his first film, 1971’s THX-1138, was selected for a screening there. “Since then, I have returned to the festival on many occasions in a variety of capacities as a writer, director and producer. I am truly honored by this special recognition,” he said.
– In further Star Wars news, Ubisoft released a story trailer for Star Wars Outlaws, revealing the video game will be released on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC on August 30. Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the game follows Kay Vess (Humberly González), a thief from Canto Bight who goes on the run after angering the crime syndicate Zerek Besh (who were created for the game, but have already been introduced in the Marvel Comics series “Crimson Reign” and “Hidden Empire.”) The trailer also reveals Kay’s mentor Jaylen; the bounty hunter pursuing her, Vail; and appearances from none other than Jabba the Hutt, and Han Solo frozen in carbonite. Pre-order bonuses, which include a season pass for two subsequent story DLCs, were also announced.
– Finally, French actor/director Mathieu Kassovitz (La Haine, Amélie) will helm the live-action/animated English-language film The Big War. Described by Kassovitz as being “inspired” by Victor Dancette, Jacques Zimmerman, and Edmond-François Calvo’s wartime comic “La Bete Est Morte” (“The Beast is Dead”), the film will reimagine World War II with animals, following two rabbits who form a resistance movement with other rabbits they encounter while fleeing the Nazis (who are wolves). The film will mix animated characters with real sets and locations. It was written with Caroline Thompson (The Nightmare Before Christmas), and will mark Kassovitz’s first film as director since 2011’s historical drama Rebellion; Kassovitz will also voice a character in the project, which will begin filming later this year.
